Switch



May 29, 1951 H. w. GRAYBILL SWITCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 31, 1946 Jib. A. 2 n L W MM m 3 w K 0Q wk N\ k T w\ N w Q-XI M M N V Q W QQQ y 1951 H. w. GRAYBILL 24,554,824

swI'rcH Filed May 51, 1946 V 2 Sheets-:Sheet 2 44 Ill/II INVENTOR j wrw/am mi Patented May 29, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SWITCH Howard W. Graybill, Honey Brook, Pa., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 31, 1946, Serial No. 673,273

Claims. 1

This invention relates generally to electric switches and especially to high capacity disconnect switches.

One object of this invention is to provide a novel arrangement for actuating the blades of a disconnect switch having a plurality of parallel blades. v

A more specific object of this invention is to provide in a switch having a plurality of parallel switch blades, novel means for simultaneously releasing contact pressure of the blades before moving the blades to open circuit position.

Another object of this invention is to provide in a switch having a plurality of parallelswitch blades, novel means for simultaneously actuating such blades both in opening and closing the circuit.

These and other objects of this invention will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof when taken in connection with the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top view of a disconnect switch embodying this invention; I

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the switch shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged partial cross sectional view taken substantially on the line IIIIII of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially on the line IV-IV of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the switch shown in Fig. 1, taken substantially on the line V-V thereof;

Fig. 6 is a section similar to Fig. 3 but illustrating a modified form of the invention;

Fig. '7 is also a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing still another modified form of the invention; and l Fig. 8 is a partial sectionalview of the modification shown in Fig. 7, but taken at right angles to the section of Fig. 7.

The disconnect switch shown on the drawings is illustrated as being mounted on a base 2 which may be a metal channel or the like, having a stationary insulator 4 secured thereto at one end. The outer end of insulator 4 has secured thereto a terminal plate 6 having an integral terminal pad 8 extending to one side. Terminal plate 6 also carries a contact jaw structure best shown in Fig. 5 as comprising a base plate portion ll having a central common jaw member 10, preferably of rigid construction and secured to the base II in any desired manner, such for example as by soldering or'welding. Base'll may have integral therewith a pair of resilient jaws (2 extending on opposite sides of the common jaw It in spaced relation therewith. The entire jaw construction may be secured to terminal plate 6 in any desired manner, for example as by bolts 3. The switch jaw construction described above may be of any good electrical conducting material, with the base and jaws i2 being of such a material which is also resilient, such as a copper alloy, whereas the common jaw I0 need not have resilient properties, and may be of copper, if desired.

At the other end of base 2, there is rigidly mounted another insulator M which has secured to the outer end ,thereof one end of a supporting frame I6, as by bolts 18. Supporting frame It has a terminal pad extension 20, and the circult conductors may be connected to this terminal pad and the pad 8, respectively. A third insulator 22 is rotatably mounted on base 2 as by a bearing 24, this insulator having an actuating crank 26 secured thereto for rotating the insulator, and the outer end thereof being provided with a stub shaft 28 rotatably mounted in supporting frame I6.

A blade supporting housing 30 is adapted to be pivotally mounted at opposite sides between the opposite sides of supporting frame [6, as at 32. The housing 30 is provided with a hollow portion 34 and. with an integral hood portion 36 which extends over the contact jaw construction located adjacent the rotatable insulator. This jaw construction (Fig. 4) is quite similar to that supported on insulator 4 in that it also has a base 40 suitably secured to an extension of supporting frame l6, and has a rigid jaw member 38 secured thereto similar to the manner in which rigid jaw I ll is secured to base i I. Base at is also provided with resilient jaws 42 extending at opposite sides of common jaw 38 in spaced relation thereto, all for a purpose to be described. The jaw construction supported on support l6 may be constructed of material similar to the jaw construction mounted on insulator 4.

Two switch blades 44 and 46, which may be tubular in form, are illustrated as extending into hollow portion 34 of housing 38 to be rotatably mounted therein and in an aperture through overhanging part 48 of hood portion 36. The ends of switch blades 44 and 4:? within hollow portion 34 of housing 30 are provided with gears 50 and 52, respectively, keyed thereon. .The gears 50 and 52 are in mesh, and may be provided with teeth only about a portion of their periphery, preferably at least because ordinarily the blades are not rotated a greater amount about their own axes. Blade 46 is provided with a fork 54 secured on the end thereof within the hollow portion 34 of housing 36 to receive an inclined crank 56 integral with the outer end of stub shaft 28 on the rotatable insulator entering the hollow portion 34 of the housing by an opening 55. Crank 56 terminates in a substantially ball-shaped end portion 58 adapted to be received in a cam slot 60 formed in the inside wall of hollow portion 34 of housing 30.

Switch blade 44 is provided with a sleeve 45 secured thereon beneath hood 36, and the sleeve has opposed contact protuberances 62 adapted to engage common switch jaw 38 and the adjacent resilient jaw 42 beneath hood 36 of the housing. The outer end of blade 44 isflattened, as at 64, to engage the adjacent resilient jaw I2 and common jaw Ii] mounted on insulator 4. Similarly, switch blade 46 is provided with a sleeve 41 having contact protuberances 66 for engagement with the adjacent resilient switch jaw 42 and common jaw 38 beneath hood 36 of housing 36; and blade 46 also has a flattened outer end 68 for engagement with the adjacent resilient jaw I2 and common jaw I6 supported on insulator 4.

The operation of the switch illustrated in Figs. 1 to will now be apparent. Starting with the switch in the closed circuit position illustrated, it will be noted that the flattened ends 64 and 68 of the blades are positioned transversely of their respective switch jaws, as are the contact protuberances 62 and 66 thereof, with the resilient jaws I2 and 42 stressed so as to be in relatively high pressure engagement. In order to open the switch, insulator 22 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. l to thereby rotate fork 54 on switch blade 46 to position the flattened end 68 of the blade and contact protuberances 66 at an inclination with respect to their respective contact jaws thereby relieving the contact pressure. Because switch blade 46 is provided with gear 52 meshing with gear 56 on switch blade 44, the latter blade will be rotated with blade 46 but in an opposite direction. will be apparent, therefore, that the contact pressures on both blades will be relieved, and this will occur prior to any pivotal movement of the blades out of their respective contact jaws about housing pivots 32, because the housing will not be moved at all during the first part of the rotational movement of insulator 22 since it will be observed that the right-hand end of cam slot 66 (Fig. 3) is straight and positioned in the plane of movement of ball portion 58 of crank 56. After contact pressures on the blades have been relieved by rotation thereof in the manner described above, the blades will then be moved pivotally with housing 36 about pivots 32 because the ball portion 68 of crank 56 will then enter the inclined portion at the left-hand end of cam slot 60 (Fig. 3). Such pivotal movement of the blades and housing may continue until the blades are at a position at least 90 from that illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

When it is desired to close the switch, insulator 22 is rotated in the opposite direction, that is, in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1, whereupon the blades and housing are pivotally moved about pivots 32 until the contact portions 62, 64, 65 and 68 cf the blades are positioned within their respective jaws, whereupon pivotal movement ceases and the blades are rotated to the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2, where their contact portions are transverse to their respective jaws and in high-pressure engagement therewith. Inasmuch as the angular position of each blade is positively controlled by engagement of the gears 56 and 52 and the engagement of fork 54 with crank 56, it is impossible for the switch to be operated in any manner other than that described above, so that during pivotal opening and closing movements of the blades no contact friction is encountered, whereas rotational movement of the blades about their own axes into and out of high-pressure contact engagement with the switch box is accomplished without any pivotal movement of the blades about pivots 32. Moreover, with the arrangement described above wherein switch blades 44 and 46 are rotated about their own axes in opposite directions, it will be observed that the high-pressure engagement of these blades with common jaws I6 and 33 will not have any tendency to bend such jaws because the engagement of the blades therewith will always take place at exactly opposite points of jaws ID and 38.

The modification illustrated in Fig. 6. of the drawing is concerned solely with the provision of cranks I2 and '54 On the ends of blades 46 and 44, respectively, within the hollow portion 34 of housing 36, and these cranks are connected by a link I6 pivoted to crank I2 as at E8 and to crank l4 as at 86. Blade 46 carries fork 54 as in the embodiment of the invention previously described, and all other parts may be identical. It will be apparent that the only difference in operation of this embodiment of the invention is that rotational movement of the switch blades about their own axes will take place in the same directions rather than in opposite directions as was the case with the embodiment disclosed in Figs. 1 to 5. In all other operational respects, a switch constructed in accordance with the modification of Fig. 6 operates in the same manner as a switch constructed in accordance with Figs. 1 to 5 of the drawings.

The embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 7 and 8 also differs from that shown in Figs. 1 to 5 and 6 merely in the means for obtaining simultaneous rotational movements of the two switch blades about their own axes. In this embodiment of the invention, fork 54 is carried by a stub shaft 88 rotatably journalled through the wall of hollow portion 34 of housing 30 at a point intermediate and above the bearings for blades 44 and 46. The stub shaft 88 has an enlarged head 92') for engagement with the outside of the housing wall, and inside the housing it is provided with a gear 86 which meshes with gears 82 and 84 provided on blades 44 and 46, respectively.

The operation of the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. '7 and 8 is substantially identical with that of the embodiment of invention shown in Fig. 6, because it will be apparent that upon rotation of fork 54 blades 44 and 46 will be rotated in the same directions as in the embodiment shown in Fig. 6. In all other operational respects, a switch constructed in accordance with the modification illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 will operate in the same manner described above in connection with the species of invention shown in Figs. 1 to 6.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that this invention provides a novel actuating means for a disconnect switch having a plurality of parallel switch blades such that the rotational movements of the blades into and out of highpressure engagement with their respective con tact jaws are positively controlled and contact pressure is not encountered during opening and closing movements of the blades into and out of the switch jaws. Moreover, the mechanism for accomplishing the positively controlled movements of the switch blades is relatively simple in character, and is entirely located within a weatherproof housing with which the drive mechanism is directly engageable.

Having described preferred embodiments of this invention in accordance with the patent statutes, it is desired that the invention be not limited to these particular embodiments, inasmuch as it will be obvious to persons skilled in this art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the broad spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a switch, contact means, a plurality of switch blades each rotatably mounted in a pivoted blade-carrying support for pivotal movement with said support to and away from positions in proximity to said contact means and for rotatable movement relative to said support into and out of high-pressure engagement with said contact means when at said positions, rotatable actuating means having a direct mechanical connection with said support and a separate direct mechanical connection with one of said blades to rotate said one blade and pivotally move said support, and a third separate direct mechanical connection between said one blade and another of said blades to cause simultaneous rotational movement of said blades.

2. In a switch, contact means, a plurality of switch blades each rotatably mounted in a pivoted blade-carrying support for pivotal movement with said support to and away from positions in proximity to said contact means and for rotatable movement relative to said support into and out of high-pressure engagement with said contact means when at said positions, rotatable actuating means having a direct mechanical connection with said support and a separate direct mechanical connection with one of said blades to rotate said one blade and pivotally move said support, and interengaging gears on adjacent blades to cause simultaneous rotation of such blades in opposite directions.

3. In a switch, contact means, a pivotally mounted blade-supporting housing, a plurality of switch blades each rotatably mounted in a wall of said housing for pivotal movement with said housing to and away from positions in proximity to said contact means and for rotatable movement relative to said housing into and out of high-pressure engagement with said contact means when at said positions, rotatable actuating means extending into said housing, a direct mechanical connection in said housing between said actuating means and said housing for causing pivotal movement of said housing, a separate mechanical motion transmitting means in said housing between said actuating means and one of said blades, and a third separate mechanical motion transmitting means in said housing between said one blade and another blade for causing simultaneous rotation of said other blade.

4. In a switch, a pair of contact jaws comprising a common rigid contact jaw, a resilient jaw on each side of said common jaw, a pair of switch blades cooperable with said jaws, respectively, a common pivoted support in which each blade is rotatably mounted for pivotal movement with said support into and out of said jaws and for rotational movement when in said jaws into and out of high-pressure engagement therewith, and means for pivotally and rotatably moving said blades in a manner to positively control the aforesaid movements of the blades.

5. In a switch, a pair of contact jaws comprising a common contact jaw, a resilient jaw on each side of said common jaw, a pair of switch blades cooper-able with said jaws, respectively, a common pivoted support in which each blade is rotatably mounted for pivotal movement with said support into and out of said jaws and for rotational movement when in said jaws into and out of high-pressure engagement therewith, and means for pivotally and rotatably moving said blades in opposite directions in a'manner to positively control the aforesaid movements of the blades.

HOWARD W. GRAYBILL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 490,746 Gibbs Jan. 31, 1893 1,275,309 Schneider Aug. 13, 1918 1,903,643 Koppitz et al Apr. 11, 1933 1,935,516 Musgrave Nov. 14, 1933 2,316,844 Cornell et al Apr. 20, 1943 2,363,360 Rawlins Nov. 21, 1944 

